The city lights blurred as Adrian's car sped through the rain-soaked streets. Sirens wailed somewhere behind them faint, distant, but growing louder.
Emma clutched her seatbelt, her heart still hammering from the explosion. The image of the Knight mansion in flames burned in her mind like a nightmare she couldn't wake from.
She turned to Adrian, voice trembling. "Do you think he's dead?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately. His jaw tightened as he gripped the wheel. "No. My father's too careful. He planned that blast."
"Then he wanted us gone."
He nodded grimly. "Or he wanted us to run so he could watch where we go."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Perfect. The puppet master never dies."
They stopped only when the fuel light blinked red. Adrian pulled the car into an abandoned rest area by the outskirts of the city. Rain poured down in sheets, pounding on the roof.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Emma whispered, "He knew, Adrian. About me. About… what I am."
Adrian's eyes softened. "Emma—"
"No, listen." She turned toward him. "He said I was proof it worked. That I wasn't supposed to survive the fire but I did. He wanted to see what I'd become."
Adrian leaned back in the seat, rubbing his temples. "Project Lazarus wasn't about healing. It was about resurrection. He must've found a way to trigger it in you."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "So, what am I now?"
He looked at her really looked and said quietly, "You're still you. The rest doesn't matter."
But it did matter. Deep down, she could feel it something different in her pulse, her memory, even the way her body reacted to danger. She was faster, stronger, sharper. And that terrified her.
Lightning flashed outside, illuminating Adrian's profile the worry etched into every line of his face.
"Adrian," she said softly. "What if he's tracking us right now?"
He looked at her sharply. "Why?"
Emma reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small, black chip the one she'd torn from the lab's computer before the explosion.
"This," she said. "It's marked 'Phase Two.' I didn't know what it meant… until now."
Adrian took it, frowning. "It's encrypted. My father's data always was."
She nodded. "Then we find someone who can break it."
He hesitated. "That's dangerous. Anyone who touches this will become a target."
Emma's expression hardened. "Then we find someone who's already on his hit list."
Hours later, they reached a rundown motel on the edge of the industrial district the kind of place where no one asked questions.
Adrian paid cash for the room. The neon sign outside flickered red and blue, painting their faces in restless light.
Inside, Emma sank onto the bed, exhaustion crashing over her.
Adrian stood by the window, scanning the dark street below. "We can't stay long. By morning, every news outlet will call us suspects in the explosion."
Emma gave a tired smile. "At least we'll be famous together."
He turned toward her, half a smile ghosting his lips. "You think this is funny?"
"No," she whispered. "But if I don't laugh, I'll break."
The silence that followed was heavy not awkward, just raw. Two people bound by secrets, fear, and something neither could name.
Adrian sat beside her, eyes fixed on the small chip in his hand.
"Do you trust me?" he asked suddenly.
Emma met his gaze. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
"Then promise me something," he said. "No matter what we find on this drive no matter what Phase Two means don't face it alone."
Her chest tightened. "And you?"
He hesitated. "I'll stand with you. Until this ends."
Emma smiled faintly. "You say that like you've already chosen a side."
"I have." His voice was low. "Yours."
For the first time in what felt like forever, warmth flickered in her heart brief, fragile, but real.
But peace never lasted long in Emma's world.
Her phone buzzed suddenly. A hidden number. A message appeared.
You shouldn't have survived twice, Miss Blackwood. Phase Two begins at midnight.
Emma's blood ran cold. "He's alive."
Adrian grabbed the phone, scanning the message. "There's no location, no signal trace—"
A second message appeared.
Follow the light if you want answers.
They both turned toward the window and froze.
Across the street, on the rooftop of a nearby warehouse, a faint red light blinked through the rain.
Emma stood slowly. "He's watching us."
Adrian reached for his gun. "Or baiting us."
"Either way," she said, her voice steady, "I'm done running."
She slipped on her coat, eyes blazing with determination. "He wanted me to follow the light. Let's give him what he wants."
Adrian's grip tightened around his weapon. "Then we end this tonight."
They crossed the street under the cover of darkness, the storm masking their steps.
The warehouse loomed ahead empty, silent, except for the soft hum of electricity.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of oil and metal. A single screen flickered in the center of the room, displaying one word:
PHASE TWO INITIATED.
Emma's breath hitched. "He's here."
Adrian scanned the shadows. "Show yourself!"
A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the room.
From the darkness, a figure stepped forward tall, calm, and all too familiar.
Daniel.
Only this time, his eyes weren't human.
They glowed faintly blue.
"Welcome back, Emma," he said softly. "It's time you learned why you were really reborn."